1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that incorporates the fixing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional monochrome or color image forming apparatuses include copying machines, printers, and facsimile machines. These apparatuses use a fixing apparatus. One of conventional fixing apparatuses is configured such that a fixing belt is held between a heater and a pressure roller in sandwiched relation.
This type of fixing apparatus is advantageous in that the overall heat capacity of the fixing apparatus is relatively small, and therefore a fixing temperature may be reached in a very short time after power up of the apparatus, and in that power consumption is low. However, the conventional fixing apparatus is disadvantageous in that the temperature drop is significant when toner is fused into a recording medium and therefore temperature control is poor.